7 Arrested in Alleged Louisiana Driveway Work Scam

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office says seven people have been arrested during the past month in an asphalt scam that cost Louisiana victims thousands of dollars.

Investigators said Friday that members of the crew would approach homes or businesses and offer to fix their driveways or parking lots. Often, they would claim leftover material from another paving job was available for a discounted price. The work they did turned out to be substandard and left owners with damaged driveways.

In one case, authorities said, an elderly property owner found his driveway had been ripped up and was told that the price had jumped from $90 to $5,000. He felt intimidated into paying a supposedly discounted price of $2,800.

Six adults from Louisiana and Texas were arrested. A juvenile was arrested too.

One of the victims, Kevin Jeane, said after doing a little research on the price he was quoted, he had a feeling he was being scammed, but he went ahead and let them finish the work anyway. He said when he tried to get them to stop, they kept pressuring him to let them finish the job.

“He put one grate over with this bulldozer and started pouring the stuff. Three or four weeks later, it started falling apart,” Jeane told WAFB television in Baton Rouge.

The long driveway to his house has turned into gravel road because it was never sealed. Jeane is out $7,600.

The adults arrested were identified as:

• Billy Densmore II, 37, Prairieville, La.; one count of racketeering, one count of money laundering, two counts of felony theft, one count of drug racketeering and two outstanding warrants from other agencies. Densmore was transferred to the Ascension Parish Jail to face pending charges in that parish.
• Amelia Susan Densmore, 36, Prairieville; one count of racketeering.
• Dakota Perry Densmore, 17, Prairieville; one count of racketeering, one count of felony misapplication of payments by contractors and two counts of felony theft.
• Alvin J. Edwards, 39, Houma, La.; five counts of felony theft, one count of racketeering and one count of fraud in the sales or pledges of a promissory note. Edwards was held in lieu of $240,000 bail.
• Derrick Johnson, 39, Dallas; two counts of money laundering, six counts of felony theft, one count of racketeering and one count of fraud in the sales or pledges of a promissory note. Johnson was held in lieu of $275,000 bail.
• Jose M. Ramirez, 50, McAllen, Texas; eight counts of felony theft and one count of racketeering. Ramirez was held in lieu of $245,000 bail.